Improvement in machines for washing wool and other fibrous material



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W. MURKLAND. MACHINE FOR WASHING WOOL AND OTHER PIBROUS MATERIALS.

No.51,900. Patented Jan. 2, 1866.

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w. MURKLAND. MACHINE FOR WASHING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS.

No. 51,900. Patented Jan. 2, 1866.

UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MUBKLAND, OF LOWELL, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, CHAS. SAR- GENT, OF GRANITEVILLE, AND MOSES A. JOHNSON, OF LOWELL, MASS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR WASHING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRO'US MATERIAL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5 L900, dated January 2 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MURKLAND, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Washing W'ool and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents an elevation of one of the sides of the machine. Fig. 2 represents an elevation of that end of the machine that the wool is fed in at. Fig. 3 represents an elevation of the/delivery end of the machine. Fig. 4 represents an elevation ct that side of the machine opposite that shown in Fi .1; and Fig. oarepresents a longitudinal vertical sec tion taken through the machine centrally.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the se mratetigures, denote like parts in all the drawings.

My invention consists in washing wool and other fibrous material by giving it an oscillatin g and progressive movementin'and through the liquid by means of certain devices and combinations of devices for agitating and feeding the wool or other material to be washed through the machine, and subjecting it to the several operations of the diiferent devices, as.

will be explained.

To enable others skilled in the art to make "and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference-to the drawings.

A represents a tank, on and in which the mechanism is arranged. Inside of the tank there is a perforated bottom, B, for catching and holding the wool or other material to be washed while the water may flow through its perforations, The tank may be also furnished with the usual inlet and draw-oft pipes.

At one end of the tank or frame Athere is a shaft, 0, upon which a pulley, D, is fixed, and

by means of a belt from any first-movin g power the gear E there is fastened (or to the shaft/O, which is the same thing, as they all turn together) a crank-wheel, G, upon which-there is an adjustable wrist-pin carrier, H, having a wrist-pin, I), on it, and made adjustable by the set-screw c and slot 01.

To the wrist-pin d is connected one end of a pitman, I, the other end of said pitman' being pivoted or hung to a wrist, e, projecting from a. collar, f, upon or within which the wormsleeve J turns. This worm J has a square opening through it, which opening works over or reciprocates upon the square portiongof'the turning-shaftF; and to the collar fthere-is also secured a guidingnece, K, that slides over a guide-rod, L.

It will be perceived that the worm J has a reciprocating motion on the shaft F by means of its pitinanconnection Land thatit revolves with the shaft F, which is turned by the gears E a; but the collar f, though it reciprocates with the worm, does not turn with it. On the contrary, the worm turns in the collar. This peculiar connection or combination of motions gives to the gear M, which is reciprocated by the ivorni J, a very peculiar 1notion-viz., it turns said gear farther in one direction-' namely, in the direction in which the material is to pass through the machine-than in the opposite direction, the object of which will be stated in connection with the operation of the machine.

The gear M, which is rcciprocated by the worm J, is fixed upon the end of a shaft, N, upon which shaft, or that portion of it which is over the tank A, is a hub or drum,'0, the perimeter of which is formed into a series of flanges, h, with a series of recesses, 2', between the adjacent flanges. In the flanges h are arranged radially a series of spikes or teeth, j, which project far enough to reach into the wool or other material to be washed, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to open, pick, agitate, and convey forward the material that is being washed. Around the recesses i are passed straps or slats 7c, of thin metal or other material, which are fastened at l to a cross-bar, P, supported by the arms or ribs Q. These slats or straps k serve as guards to prevent the material from being carried over the top of the oscillating cylinder 0 and beyond its action. The teeth apron.

motion is attained as follows: On the shaft 0 there is a pulley, a, over which, and over apulley, 3,011 the journal of the under squeezeroll, T, passes an endless belt, U, which drives saidf roll "1, and on the journal of said roll, at

the opposite side of the machine, Figs. 3, 4,

there. is a pulley, V, around which, and around a pulley, \V, on the journal of the cylinder Br, passes an endless belt, X, which gives motion to said cylinder. and links, so as to be quite open, passes around the cylinder R and around a guiding and sup.- porting cylinder, 1), which apron is moved in the direction in which the material passes through the machine by a sprocket-wheeh'q, on the cylinder R and a chain, 1', on the apron. This apron is as wide as the cylinder R is long, and the points of the spikes or teeth m pass through the open spaces or interstices of the The object of this arrangement is to allow the spikes m to carry up the washed material from the tank and to deliver it upon the apron o, where it can drain,-and by it be carried and delivered to the squeeze-rolls TY, by which the water is pressed out of the washed material, and it drops upon the floor. The top squeeze-roll, Y, is held down against the lower one, T, by levers sand springs t, so that it may yield, when necessary, but be firm enough to squeeze the water out of the material passed through between them.

The material to be washed is fed into the machine as follows: An apron, u, is arranged on a frame, 17,, which frame may be hinged to the tank or main frame,-s'o that by means of curved and notched arms w it may be set at any suitable inclination toward the feed-roll as. (In the drawings the frame and apron are represented as let down but when in working order they should .be raised up to'about the position and inclination shown by the red lines 2. Figs. 1 and 4.)

An apron, 0, made of rods 1 The feed-roll .r is

roll as, is forced, where it is taken bypthe .pointed spikes or teeth j of the oscillating cylinder O and agitated, picked, washed, and then advanced to the discharge end of the machine, as above mentioned. The feed-roll wf and the roll 2 of the endless apron u are driven by an endless belt, 3, that passes around a pulley, 4, on the journal of the cylinder R, and thence around .both rolls w 2. A guard or shield plate, 5, is placed behind-the feed-roll a: and over the teeth, rack, or combl, to prevent the material from going over the top of the roll 00,- instead of underneath it.

' The object in rotating the gear M of the toothed cylinder farther in one direction than in the other is for the purpose of causing the material, although constantly and repeatedly acted upon and agitated, to be at the same time gradually but surely advanced through the machine.

Having thus fully described 'my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for the washing of wool or other fibrous material, the combination of the toothed cylinder with a revolving and trav ersing worm and with a worm-gear, so that said worm will act as a worm anda rack both in giving the gear and the parts connected with it both an oscillating and "a progressive motion, substantially as and for the purpose described. 7

- 2. An adjustable crank or its equivalent, in combination with the'worm-rack, for the purpose of increasing or diminishing the oscillations of the picking and washing cylinder, substantially as described.

3. The combination ofthe toothed and fluted feed-roll, the toothed shell or comb, and the oscillating cylinder, for feeding in the material to be washed to the tank, substantially as de-' scribed.

4. In combination with the oscillating cyliuder, the clearers 70, passing under and around said cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination of the endless open belt with the toothed cyliuderR,and passing around WILLIAM MURKLAND.

Witnesses:

JEFFERSON BANOROFT, GEORGE W. OoBURN. 

